The Bangladesh ‘A’ team will be missing their skipper, Afif Hossain, in the upcoming third four-day game against West Indies ‘A’ due to exhaustion. The match, which marks the conclusion of the three-match series, is scheduled to take place at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium starting May 30.
An official from the team management confirmed this development to Cricbuzz, stating that Afif’s absence was not due to being dropped from the team. “Afif is not dropped. He requested rest as he felt exhausted,” the official clarified.
Afif’s appointment as the skipper of the ‘A’ team for the home series against the West Indies came as a surprise to many, considering his reputation as a white-ball cricketer. Despite his impressive record of five centuries in first-class cricket, he was primarily known for his performance in limited-overs formats.
The left-handed batsman has played 28 first-class matches so far, amassing 1361 runs with a highest score of 142 at an average of 31.65. His impressive record includes five hundreds and three fifties.
Ahead of the series against West Indies ‘A’, Afif expressed his enthusiasm for red-ball cricket and stated that he was looking forward to the challenge. Bangladesh ‘A’ team coach Jamie Siddons expressed his desire to develop Afif into an all-format player, despite the fact that playing consecutive red-ball games seemed to have taken a toll on the young cricketer. In Bangladesh, it is uncommon for national cricketers, particularly those primarily associated with white-ball cricket, to play back-to-back multi-day matches.
During the ongoing series, Afif scored 45 and 9 runs in the first game, and 37 and 4 runs in the second game. The West Indies ‘A’ team currently leads the series with a 1-0 margin.
Meanwhile, the hosts have decided to make several changes to the squad for the third four-day game. Mominul Haque, Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, and Mrittunjoy Chowdhury have been included to gain valuable exposure to red-ball cricket ahead of Bangladesh’s lone Test against Afghanistan next month.
Bangladesh ‘A’ team squad for the third game:
– Zakir Hasan
– Saif Hasan
– Mahmudul Hasan Joy
– Mominul Haque
– Yasir Ali
– Nurul Hasan
– Shahadat Hossain
– Naim Hasan
– Nasum Ahmed
– Shoriful Islam
– Mrittonjoy Chowdhury
– Tanjim Hasan Sakib
– Mushfiq Hasan
– Irfan Shukkur